41:6 They help one another; 1
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 2
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 3 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 4
he drinks no water and gets tired.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 5 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
1 tn Heb “each his neighbor helps”; NCV “The workers help each other.”
2 tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
3 tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.
4 tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
5 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.